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Confused by lighting terms? Here’s what they all mean

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If you’re new to working with flash, especially when shooting portraits, all of the different terms for different lights can be quite confusing. With no context whatsoever, “key”, “fill”, “rim”, “kicker”, etc. are all kind of vague and non-descript. Once you understand the purpose for each, though, the naming convention becomes quite obvious.

In this video, photographer John Gress walks us through each of the different terms used for different types of lighting position, as well as how and why each of them are used when shooting portraits. He also mentions some of the names different photographers seem to use for the same thing – often a big cause of confusion judging by some of the posts I see on social media.

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How I shot a portrait of two people 7,000km apart on a single wet plate photograph

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This is not about a technical perfect wet plate. This is about building connections from thousand miles away. Overcoming obstacles and being there for each other.

This 5-minute exposure captured more than just an image, it’s a short movie where the plate captured our thoughts and movements. Thanks to Shane Balkowitsch to be a part of it.

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Parabolic softboxes “make a mockery of the laws of physics” and are “completely unnecessary”

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When somebody begins a video with the phrase “what a load of marketing bulls**t”, they’re about to either make themselves look like an idiot or they’re going to back their claim up and show you some solid evidence. In this video from Karl Taylor, I’m leaning towards the latter. Karl takes a look at parabolic softboxes and demonstrates why they really don’t offer all that much benefit over regular octagonal softboxes (or octaboxes).

 

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How to turn one light into several for dramatic black and white portraits

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When it comes to using just a single light source in the studio, there is a lot of great content out there, and we’ve covered some of it here on DIYP before. Often, when you want one light to look like several, though, you usually need to think about multiple shots and compositing in post – whether it be for stills or video. But you don’t have to.

Photographer Jiggie Alejandrino recently showed us one way to shoot dramatic portraits with just one light but now he’s back again with a new tutorial. This one adds even more drama and produces some very impressive results that most people would guess used at least two or three lights. But nope, he just uses one speedlight for these.

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How I shot this “Fructis” product image

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I decided to make this image for my product portfolio. I think it is important to build images with total creative freedom, without having to follow a client’s needs. This way, we can experiment and look for new concepts.

I already had the Fructis shampoo containers in the studio for a long time to make an image. I’d had the mirrors even longer, So, I decided to make this image inspired by some other images I’d seen with a similar concept.

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This is my favourite $1 lighting modifier

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I’ve always been drawn to interesting looking light. The simple, soft and flat light of softboxes and other standard modifiers rarely hold my attention and I’ve often felt like that softbox lighting doesn’t exist outside of the studio. It’s always looked a little too clinical for me.

We’re shown interesting light all of the time when we’re observing daylight. Dappled light as it falls through leaves, dancing sparkles of light on water, rays of light through buildings and other structures, but we rarely try and bring that interesting looking light into the studio. In fact, many of us chase and covet this idea of ‘perfect’ light from a generic modifier and although there is certainly a time and a place for that, today I’d like to share a lighting technique that is a little more visually engaging.

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Elinchrom has launched two new ELC 125 and ELC 500 studio strobes

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These days, with the amount of battery-powered strobes out there, we often forget that some people still prefer to plug their strobes into the wall. Elinchrom hasn’t, though. They’ve just announced two new ELC 125 and ELC 500 studio strobes, which offer TTL, and high-speed sync.

Elinchrom says that the new lights are designed to “handle creative adventures reliably and consistency” and features a lot of the things we’ve come to expect from modern strobes, like TTL with a manual exposure lock, high-speed sync up to 1/8000th, a bright daylight-balanced modelling light, built-in radio receivers, 1/10th stop adjustments, and somewhat decent recycle times (depending on power and mode).

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Lighting setup: bounced top light

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Studio lighting can be tricky, but in reality shooting, in a big open studio space with all the fancy modifiers and stands is a damn sight easier than shooting in a small, cramped on-location space.

“But Jake, surely all professional photographers get to shoot in nice big, bright, airy studios all the time right?”

Wrong. In fact part of the job is having the ability to shoot almost anywhere and for those of us who end up shooting fashion and editorial style work, we need to shoot in some very awkward spaces. From underground nightclubs, fancy bathrooms, or even smaller European homes, all of these small spaces present a multitude of problems and if the client wants to shoot there, it’s your job to make it happen.

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How to use light, shadows and highlights for dramatic portrait lighting – Part 2

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Hey guys! In episode 2 from my Light, Shadow, and Hi-light series, I will take you behind the scenes of the image below. I will break down the lighting setup one by one and I will go through the camera gear used so you can easily recreate this look in your own style. Think of it as a great starting point.

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How to shoot black products on a black backdrop using two lights

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Photographing black products on a black background can give you elegant and dramatic shots. However, it can be tricky to separate your product from the background. In this video, Karl Taylor walks you through his process and shows you how he photographs dark products on a dark background.

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